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A Novel
by Daniel Black
A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Robert Jones Jr. and Alice Walker.
As Jacob lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac. They have not met or spoken in many years, and there are things that Isaac must know. Stories about his ancestral legacy in rural Arkansas that extend back to slavery. Secrets from Jacob's tumultuous relationship with Isaac's mother and the shame he carries from the dissolution of their family. Tragedies that informed Jacob's role as a father and his reaction to Isaac's being gay.
But most of all, Jacob must share with Isaac the unspoken truths that reside in his heart. He must give voice to the trauma that Isaac has inherited. And he must create a space for the two to find peace.
With piercing insight and profound empathy, acclaimed author Daniel Black illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons, offering an authentic and ultimately hopeful portrait of reckoning and reconciliation. Spare as it is sweeping, poetic as it is compulsively readable, Don't Cry for Me is a monumental novel about one family grappling with love's hard edges and the unexpected places where hope and healing take flight.
Book Club Reading List 2026
Here's the list of books my irl book club just selected for 2026. I'd love to see lists from other groups also Jan 14 - The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez Feb 11 - The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden Mar 11 - Audition by Katie Kitamura Apr 8 - Endling by Maria Reva May 13 - Black in Blues by ...
-Anne_Glasgow
What books have you enjoyed so far in 2025, what books are you looking forward to reading?
My best of the first half of 2025: 5⭐️ Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black Black in Blues by Imani Perry Freedom is a Feast by Alejandro Puyana The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni 4.5⭐️ The Power Broker by Robert Caro The Sl...
-Anne_Glasgow
"A deeply perceptive evocation of what it has meant to be a man and especially a Black man in the United States, all the more affecting for not being shouted out but told with quiet, sturdy intimacy." —Library Journal (starred review)
"Incredible storytelling, and readers will be invested from page one....An accomplished author of six previous novels, Black has crafted a memorable, poignant story that explores themes of regret, legacy and family—and yet remains perfectly balanced through it all." —BookPage (starred review)
"Heartbreaking…Poignant and moving… consistently powerful." —Publishers Weekly
"In Daniel Black's Don't Cry for Me, we're reminded that consequential movement is always happening whether we like it or not. Black manages to capture, and really free characters, scenes, and so much subtext we've felt, but rarely seen or heard in American literature. The book is unafraid of the pungent slivers of joy and those dazzling shards of horror that accompany loneliness and progress. Don't Cry for Me is literally the book my favorite books needed to read. It is an unparalleled literary achievement that already feels like it will, of all things, endure." —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
"With clarity and a compelling depth of character, Daniel Black continues the tradition of the epistolary in Don't Cry for Me. This letter from Jacob to his son Isaac gives the reader eyes in two directions, seeing the world behind Jacob and what lies ahead for his son. Jacob, at the end of his life, offers a glimpse back through his family history and the lessons, regrets, and achievements of a black family in America. He also looks over Isaac's shoulder, imagining the life ahead. What history will repeat? What can they leave behind? This letter, its memories, and conversations give a panorama of this family where the history and the future combine through the impactful storytelling of a gifted writer. Daniel Black continues to show a compelling combination of then and now—residual racial histories and the present moment of his characters." —Ravi Howard, author of Like Trees, Walking and Driving the King
This information about Don't Cry for Me was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Daniel Black is an author and professor of African American studies at Clark Atlanta University. His books include The Coming, Perfect Peace and They Tell Me of a Home. He is the winner of the Distinguished Writer Award from the Middle-Atlantic Writer's Association and has been nominated for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, the Ernest J. Gaines Award,and the Georgia Author of the Year Award. He was raised in Blackwell, Arkansas, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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